Our Key Advocacy Messages

These are our four key advocacy messages for 2018.
They are based on collective consultations with key actors in the VAW field.

Violence against women is preventable.

We now know that violence against women and girls can be reduced in years not generations. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without addressing violence against women and girls. And addressing violence against women and girls will contribute to achieving multiple development outcomes, including better health, education and civic participation.

Fund women’s organisations and women’s movements, particularly those working on violence prevention.

Empirical analysis of policy changes over time suggests that, of all factors, the presence of autonomous women’s movements is the main driver of progressive government action on violence against women. However, in recent years, there has been a withdrawal of financial support for women’s organisations and for the political organising and social mobilisation they do. Prevention is political and change requires activism.

Effective prevention is evidence informed and grounded in local realities and processes.

Preventing and responding to violence against women is still a relatively new field. We have much to learn and must create space for experimentation and innovation. Localise and innovate, avoid simply replicating existing models.

Diverse forms of knowledge must inform the evidence-base.

To continue to advance the field we need to embrace diverse forms of knowledge and in particular, elevate practice-based learning (read more here about how we understand knowledge)..